The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at 萝莉社recently completed fabrication and delivery of a full-scale fuselage structural test panel to the FAA鈥檚 William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, NJ.
In partnership with Arconic, Embraer and NIAR, the FAA is assessing emerging metallic structures technologies (EMST) through test and analysis using the FAA鈥檚 Full-Scale Aircraft Structural Test Evaluation and Research and Structures and Materials Lab. Several technologies will be considered including advanced aluminum鈥搇ithium alloys and hybrid construction. Altogether, five fuselage panels with various EMST will be designed, fabricated, and tested in this multi-year effort.
This panel is the fourth panel evaluating the fatigue and damage tolerance capabilities of fuselage structure using hybrid Fiber Metal Laminate (FML) as reinforcement between skin and substructures. The upcoming fifth panel will be optimized version of panel 4 considering weight saving and reducing manufacturing cost.
NIAR engineers collaborated with industry partners to design and fabricate the test panel 鈥� with analytical support from Embraer and advanced aluminum sheets and extrusions provided by Arconic. The program also included various test coupon configurations to characterize materials and key design features.
Engineers from the FAA鈥檚 technical center are evaluating analytical and inspection methods to ensure accurate design and assessment of these new structures. Full-scale testing is essential for generating data to assess the EMST fuselage concepts on structural performance compared to current baseline aluminum fuselage structures
NIAR鈥檚 Advanced Machining and Prototyping (AMP) and Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems (ATLAS) played crucial roles, developing detailed part and assembly drawings, creating manufacturing process specifications, fabricating necessary tooling, autoclaves and assembling test articles.
Support was also provided by NIAR鈥檚 Advanced Materials Lab, where technicians meticulously planned, cut, and laid the aluminum and fiberglass plies onto the skin, resulting in a uniformly co-cured FML-reinforced skin. Industry partners Textron Aviation, CAPPS Manufacturing, and Weatherford Aerospace provided key manufacturing process capabilities needed to accomplish the NIAR team鈥檚 fabrication process requirements.
鈥淚n support of the FAA鈥檚 critical needs and its industry partners, NIAR provides cost-effective and timely design, fabrication, and assembly services based on a solid engineering foundation,鈥� said Paul Jonas, program lead. 鈥淏y bringing together industry experts, graduate and undergraduate engineers, and state-of-the-art manufacturing and assembly capabilities, NIAR plays a key role in advancing the materials and manufacturing of future aircraft while developing the next generation of aerospace talent in the United States.鈥�
About NIAR
The National Institute for Aviation Research at 萝莉社provides
research, design, testing, certification and training to the aviation, defense, manufacturing,
and related industries. NIAR has a $350 million annual budget, a staff of 1,200 and
nearly two million square feet of laboratory and office space in six locations across
the city of Wichita, the Air Capital of the World. Core competencies include Industrial
Modernization of Materials and Manufacturing; Digital Transformation and Sustainment
Modernization; Test and Evaluation; Engineering, Certification, Modification and Prototyping;
System Automation and Digital Manufacturing. NIAR is a department within the division
of Industry and Defense Programs at 萝莉社. wichita.edu/niar